So, you are desirous in learning the ways of economy, commerce, and general
salesmanship? It is a noble, but difficult goal. However, the very fact 
that you are reading this now tells of some gumption to become more than a 
simple spell weaver or sword slinger. Indeed, your very interest in this 
text betrays much of your motivation in wishing to learn about a guild that

requires intelligence, diligence, and dedication!

So let us delve a little into the more essential knowledge that you 
are surely wanting to learn...

On Self-Defense - The Finer Arts of Combat!

For starters, we do train our roaming clerks how to defend themselves when
they are out and about. It does no good sometimes to simply hand over our
goods to a bandit! Know that this knowledge is very rudimentary, but
encompasses a wide array of weapons from melee to ranged. 

We advocate the safety of our merchants; it is wise to seek training in
the skills of Attack and the use of a Crossbow as soon as possible. We also
further encourage our novice clerks and traders to seek out our teachers
that train in Crossbowmanship and the advanced ability of Targetting so
that one may pick the targets they wish to shoot. After all, being able to
focus your fire with others on the same bandit drives it off faster than
firing willy nilly at anything just because you cannot aim anywhere else!

We also basic training in the uses of a dagger and long knife in case you
find yourself in an enclosed alley where your crossbow would be of no use.
Though we offer these classes for free and will train you to a moderate
level of expertise, it is highly recommended that you fund further training
to the maximum of your abilities, especially in the use of the Crossbow!

On Skilled Services - A Trader's Wine, Bread, and Honey!

Naturally, being a merchant would do us little good if we did not know more
than just how to sell items! Honestly, to know the truest value of an
object, it is essential for any merchant to be able to take them apart and
put them back together. To aid in this, we offer specific classes in 
Altering both cloth and leather goods used by everyone everywhere to fit to
scale. Armoring the chained and plated mails to precise comfort for
knights and paladins will also make a trader a fine companion sought out
time and again indeed! Let us not forget that all merchants learn that more
than just needles and hammers for finesse is required when Resizing jewelry
of all sorts and intricate objects held to fit the hands of your glad
customer!

To be sure, we also provide you with the knowledge in Tailoring the
tattered remains of garments and leather armors, the ability to hammer 
dents out of metal when you Repair Armor, and the art of Lapidary which 
allows a fine merchant to repair the scratches and dings on rings that 
might otherwise mar their beauty and functionality. With a simple hammer, 
we may bring the quality of any weapon back to its prime, therefore 
reducing the risk of it being destroyed in combat. The local adventurers 
will be very happy a merchant was in the area after a long haul through a 
dungeon!

A word of caution to all enterprising and enthusiastic merchants however!
Use some of the coinage you are sure to possess from your endeavors to
study MUCH more than just the free education our trainers provide! For in
the world of repairs and altering, one may inadvertently destroy a very
valuable object through inexperience and lack of education. It will suffice
to say that your customer will be Very unhappy about this and word does get
around about such incidents! So train as hard as you can and as often! A
well trained merchant is not only liked, but receives more customers as
well! Reliability is the ticket to fame and fortune!

Of course, we are best known for our abilities in Gem Cutting. Our skills
and a good jewelry kit allow us to shave and slice pieces away from any
gem in the known worlds to bring out their best shine. Couple this with
our vast knowledge of Pricing objects and we can make these gems appealing
to any shopkeeper on any planet for the best prices available! Why settle
for only a couple thousand gold when a good batch of cut gems can bring in
tens of thousands?

Speaking of shopkeepers, it would be remiss of me to fail to touch upon the
very subject that makes us merchants Merchants! The one thing all merchants
find vexing is coins cannot be made if we are not awake and about to offer
our services. Naturally, the answer to this dilemma is simple - hire
someone else to do it for us! Indeed, a trader only needs to rent an empty
shop, train a clerk to man it, and ta-da! Adventurers may have their swords
and armor cleaned, polished, and repaired in no time with all the coins
falling back into the coffers waiting to join their brethren in the
trader's bank account for no more effort than keeping the materials on hand
stocked! Naturally, the clerk will never be as good as the merchant
himself, but sacrifices are made for the sake of convenience.

After gaining experience of shop owning and learning more of the arts of 
a true Salesman, a merchant may go on to open unique shops to resell 
simple everyday objects, items of power, or even a wedding boutique! Why, 
a truly enterprising merchant can run a tavern or show off a personal zoo,
with the blessings of the Merchant Council of course. The possibilities are
only as endless as the imagination! 


On Magical Services - Thine Wiggling Fingers of Fortune!

Ah, the arcane is a lovely thing. It lets us do things in an instant that
normally would take us days, weeks, and probably even years! Indeed, it
allows us to do impossible things! Yet are they so impossible? Using both
logical deduction and a little creativity, as well as a few fundamental
magics in combat, we are prepared to provide defensive, offensive, and
non-combat services to all!

To begin with, we shall delve into the arts of magical services! It is not
hard for a well trained merchant to know an object by its magical resonance
as we would its material components. To this fashion we can cause handles
to stay in their owners' hands as if they were a Sticky Weapon. We also can
forgo the tedium of a hammer and anvil in our ability to magically cause
a Weapon Resizing, making weapons shrink or grow to the customer's desired
specification! One of our more coveted spells is our ability to Protect 
objects, making them hardy enough to resist all wear and tear that happens
during the harshest of battles!

Let us delve into the combative magics of our trade.  Though we are, by 
nature, trade folk this does not mean we are completely defenseless. I 
shan't go into all of the spells in our repertoire, only those most used 
by our traders and reported favorably upon. We know the arts of the Magic 
Missile, a small but rapid spell that does well against the lesser 
creatures in the worlds. A favored spell for the opportunistic merchant on 
the go is the ability to turn things to gold as if we had Midas Touch. 
Last but not least, we utilize our knowledge of how things are put together

to cause Instability.

However, just as we will never measure up to a Fighter in the standards of
combat prowess, we shall never top a Mage in the arts of blowing the
fundamental dung out of things. What we excel in (that neither of those 
can even attempt) is our ability to create the ultimate in possessions!

A man is as good as his castle and we can use our magical Masonry to give 
such a man his castle - for enough gold! Within this castle we can cast 
Create Chest for item storage, expand it by adding rooms, allow the proud 
new owner to redecorate with paintbrushes, and use Locksmithing to place 
doors for keeping out unwanted thieves, pesky ne'er-do-wells, and the 
dreaded in-laws!

As with all magic, there is a risk that we can accidentally wiggle a finger
wrong here or speak a wrong word there so it is vital, absolutely vital,
that our merchants study their lore and spells to their utmost so our
customers remain happy and come back to us time and again for services!

Final Notes - A Few Hints For Success!

A successful merchant lives by two things: wits and honesty. A craft trader
earns much wealth, but an honest merchant receives the most customers. If a
trader develops a reputation for being a swindler or even thought of as a
cheat, people will be loath to use his services. That is a sad state to
be in indeed! Be honest when they ask you how skilled you are in an area.
Do not cheat those that trust you with their hard earned goods. I know it
is tempting to take even just a couple gold more than a given percent but 
does doing so make a trader any better than the monsters the adventurers 
have waded through to get their loot and gems in the first place?

In using his wits, a trader knows how and when to make gold. We are given
the ability to create Floating Discs for a reason! Many adventurers leave
discarded pieces of gear lying in dungeons and battlefields for they are
not worth much or are simply too heavy. Aha! We merchants are taught how to
make things lighter with Feather Weight! Make that junk lighter and pile it
on your disc and the only risk you have spent in getting the gold for
selling this 'junk' is tired legs!

Such wit and a bit of entrepreneurial spirit coupled with a love for
adventure can also make going out alone and tackling smaller monsters
profitable, although it is highly suggested caution be used in this. 
(Remember that merchants are not combative in nature!)

Another hint is to keep the eyes peeled for the miscellaneous babble here
and there - The guild of merchants lusts for and covets pretty trinkets!
The more expensive a ring or valuable a necklace found and donated to the
guild, the higher a trader is thought of and the more spells and skills 
are made available to learn! Currently, our warehouse in the basement of 
the guild is residence to a horde of gremlins who covet such baubles as 
much as the guild does. It is highly recommended and almost a mandatory 
task for new tradesmen to delve into the basement and retrieve these 
things to benefit the guild.

A last hint is this: Be personable. No one knows a merchant is offering
services unless he volunteers himself publicly. Honesty when marketing 
skills ensures a merchant will be highly esteemed, even if someone
feels he does not wish to use the offered service. Do not be discouraged by
this! There is always a need for a merchant and as with any business, there
will be slow times. An enterprising new merchant would use this time to
explore the worlds. After all, if a merchant does not know where the
markets are on the various worlds, that is a sad merchant indeed! It is
also wise to delve into various dungeons, though I highly recommend against
new merchants causing fights in said places, for how else will a merchant
know where discarded junk lies for the taking?

Below I have added a small list of acceptable prices for more popular
services. These may be changed by the merchant as he sees fit, but another
word of caution: These percentages were established by the members of the
merchant to make services fair, are universally known, and make the 
'playing field' even between new and veteran merchants. Some merchants 
offer bulk services at slightly reduced rates to encourage business. 
Remember to keep a sense of fairness in all dealings and coins will find 
their way into your purse!

Gem Cutting: 10%-15% of final sales total.
Sales of Loot for a Party: 10% of final sales total.
Castle Repairs/Creation/ and Chest/Board/Door Creation: 10% of cost to
make.
Repairs/Resizing of Armor: 250 gold per item.
Repairs/Resizing/Stickying of Weapons: 250 gold per item.

Naturally, if you have questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free
to ask your fellow merchants! No one knows more about merchanting than a
merchant after all!

A Last Comment - Farewell and Good Luck!

The above only touches on the bare-bones core of being a merchant. 
Depending on what you desire out of the path, you may become a mobile 
merchant service, a strong member of the merchant council, or even learn 
to combine your abilities with those of an alchemist to become the ultimate

in providing services! Honestly, what you put into being a merchant
dictates 
the joy you receive from it. Remember to keep your head, for you are
dealing 
with people, and it is for your clients that you maintain a profession.
They 
may be rude; they may be sweet; but remember, they will be your customers. 
Deal with them as you would have people deal with you.

Good luck and may this knowledge provide you with a strong foundation for a
thriving business!